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Baig and Raza blaze with the bat to extend Gladiators’ disastrous campaign

Danyal Rasool21-Feb-2023Quetta Gladiators’ campaign continues to leap from one disaster to the next. Hours after it was confirmed their Platinum pick, Sri Lankan allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga, would miss the entire PSL, they turned in a wretched performance against a ruthless Lahore Qalandars, succumbing to a 63-run defeat. The 2019 champions were never in the chase of 199 against the defending champions, and the lopsided scorecard didn’t flatter Gladiators in the slightest.It was Shaheen Shah Afridi who spearheaded his side with the ball, knocking Gladiators out of the contest early on in the chase, and sometimes, knocking batters quite literally off their feet. Unplayable inswinging yorkers stung the toes of several top-order batters; one saw Jason Roy end up flat on his stomach. There was, of course, the mandatory first-over wicket, Abdul Bangalzai dismissed for a golden duck. There was a sensational diving catch from him to get rid of Mohammad Hafeez. There was a lovely deception of pace that fooled Odean Smith all ends up. It was a Shaheen Afridi masterclass.Haris Rauf had an off day, but aside from him, there was no aspect of this Qalandars bowling line-up that wasn’t on song. Rashid Khan, playing his first game this year, was at his masterful best, having shaken off a poor spell in the SA20. It was his wicket of Roy, who scored a 30-ball 48 laced with 5 sixes, that snuffed out realistic hopes of a chase, and figures of 4-0-17-1 were well merited. Even David Wiese found himself among the wickets, taking 3 for 23 in his full quota. Brief flashes of resistance from Gladiators’ batters were precisely that, and the outcome was a foregone conclusion long before the final delivery was bowled.Signs of the direction this game was headed in were evident from the outset when Tahir Baig and Fakhar Zaman got Gladiators off to a blazing start. Mohammad Hafeez opened the bowling for the Gladiators, and Baig immediately went after him, clobbering him for two fours and a six in that first over. Even Naseem Shah – who was off-colour – wouldn’t be spared, with Baig picking up two boundaries on either side of square in the powerplay.The partnership had flown along to 49 in 27 balls before Fakhar nicked off to the keeper. But Qalandars continued in that vein throughout, a 56-run stand between Shai Hope and Kamran Ghulam forming the backbone of the middle overs. A cameo from Hussain Talat and an unbeaten late flurry from Sikandar Raza, who smashed 32 in 16, ensured Gladiators were never quite able to find breathing room, powerless to prevent Gladiators from surging towards 200.Well, with one notable exception. Mohammad Hasnain was heroic in defeat against Peshawar Zalmi 24 hours earlier, and today would be an encore. He was sensational once more, particularly at the death, mixing up the lengths and speeds expertly, the only bowler who was truly able to stop Lahore in their tracks. Bar his two death overs, which allowed just 14 runs, Qalandars’ score, as well as Gladiators’ margin of defeat, would have been much greater.Tonight’s game looks to have demonstrated that Qalandars’ defeat against Karachi Kings was an aberration, while Gladiators’ showing only appeared to confirm their victory against that same opposition was exactly that, too.

Finalising the playing XI for the second Test will be on Gambhir’s agenda once he is back with the touring party

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2024Gautam Gambhir, India’s head coach, will rejoin the touring party in Australia on Tuesday, having flown out of India after having returned home because of “personal reasons”.Gambhir missed India’s two-day tour game – which was later reduced to a limited-overs contest following rain on the first day – against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, having flown back home at the conclusion of the first Test in Perth on November 25. Gambhir left on November 26, the scheduled final day of that Test.The second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a day-nighter in Adelaide, will start on December 6.Related

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In Gambhir’s absence, the support staff of Abhishek Nayar, Ryan ten Doeschate and Morne Morkel had overseen the team’s training, and were part of the Canberra fixture, which the Indians won by six wickets, with Harshit Rana (4 for 44) and Shubman Gill (50 in 62 balls) playing key roles.Now, Gambhir will have to be part of the tricky discussions around India’s playing XI, with Rohit Sharma, the full-time Test captain, having linked up with the team after skipping the first Test to be with his wife for the birth of their second child. Jasprit Bumrah had led India to the comprehensive 295-run win in the Perth Test in Rohit’s absence.Gill, who had also missed that Test after fracturing his right thumb during a training session, is also back in the reckoning.Even if India bring in Rohit and Gill for Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel, who were part of the XI in Perth, there is the question of the opening combination, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul having put on a double-century first-wicket stand in India’s second innings in Perth. Indications from the pink-ball tour game, though it wasn’t a full-fledged contest, are that Jaiswal and Rahul will continue to open with Gill replacing Padikkal at No. 3, and Rohit possibly going in the middle order behind Virat Kohli. Rishabh Pant is the other certain starter in the middle order.

The home side fed Hayley Matthews’ off-side strength and paid the price

AAP03-Oct-2023Australia do not have an issue halting the momentum of rival batters, captain Alyssa Healy insists, despite falling victim to a Hayley Matthews masterclass in the second T20I against West Indies.Matthews clubbed 132 from 64 balls on Monday night to help West Indies pull off the biggest chase in women’s T20I history, as the tourists ran down their target of 213 at North Sydney Oval.The loss marked Australia’s third defeat in four T20Is, having previously enjoyed a 12-match winning streak before being shocked twice by England in this year’s Ashes.Related

• Matthews 132 shapes world record West Indies chase

• Stats – All the records Matthews and WI broke during a 425-run thriller

• Hayley Matthews credits leadership role for 'incredible' run of form

Matthews’ knock came after Australia faced similar challenges in that series, with England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt twice hitting a century in the ODIs.Australia bowled too full and wide to Matthews on Monday night, with the West Indies’ captain hitting 11 fours and three sixes between backward point and cover. The hosts also dropped Matthews twice, as the momentum of the match swung away from them.”I wouldn’t say it’s a concern. They’re really good players, right?” Australia’s stand-in captain Healy said.  “It just comes down to execution. If you’re only hitting the stumps like 20 percent tonight, you’re asking for trouble knowing how small [this] ground is.”We said all along that there’s going to be periods where we could potentially lose games of cricket, and that’s happening. It’s a good opportunity for us to learn from what is going wrong and try and fix it for the next one.”Australia identified the need for a Plan B with the ball as a key issue after India star Harmanpreet Kaur knocked them out of the 2017 ODI World Cup.Changes with the ball and a more attacking approach with the bat prompted a six-year era of dominance for Australia that had not been seriously challenged until this year’s drawn Ashes.Healy insisted ‘Plan B’, or the lack of one, was not the issue at North Sydney Oval.”We’ve got all the plans that we could possibly have in our heads and we’ve got the skills to be able to do it out there,” she said. “We’re just not executing when we need to, which we need to fix.”We were too wide. You look at the way [Matthews] swings the bat, she’s batting on leg stump, basically trying to open up the offside. 
“We probably gave her a little bit too much room in that department.”Australia must win on Thursday night in Brisbane to avoid their first series defeat to West Indies.

“We are incredibly proud to play at Lord’s, [but] it’s not a pinnacle event,” says Ireland performance director

Matt Roller26-May-2023When Ireland walk out at Lord’s on Thursday to play only their seventh men’s Test match, they will do so without their best bowler.
Josh Little is yet to make his Test debut but has thrived in one-day and T20 cricket, and would have been among the first names on Ireland’s teamsheet. But, to the frustration of many Ireland supporters, he is not available for selection.Little has spent most of the last two months in India, becoming the first active Ireland player to feature in the IPL. His contract with Gujarat Titans is worth INR 4.4 crore (€500,000 approx.) – around six times the value of his Ireland central contract – and he played in eight of their 14 group games, missing three to play an ODI series against Bangladesh.And while Ireland are determined to put up a good show at Lord’s, they have opted to give Little the week off in order to ensure he arrives at next month’s 50-over World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe – and July’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Scotland – feeling fresh after a long winter playing franchise and international cricket around the world.Related

• Balbirnie: Franchise raids on Ireland players will be 'knock-on effect of good cricket'

• Ireland's call goes unanswered as Lord's prepares to underwhelm

• 'We know England are going to come at us. They're changing the way Test cricket is played'

• Debutant Das hits dashing hundred as Ireland toil in Essex warm-up

• Stirling picked, Little rested for Lord's Test against England

“Josh asked us initially if he could have a period of rest ahead of the World Cup Qualifier,” explained Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland’s performance director. “Our management team and the selectors discussed that issue in detail and were amicably in agreement that actually, that was in the best interests of Josh and the team.”We are incredibly proud to go and play against England and at Lord’s. It’s a special occasion,” Holdsworth said. “However, it’s not a pinnacle event. And where we have to put our energies and ensure we have the best team on the park is in our pinnacle events.”Going to a World Cup Qualifier where only 10 teams [two from the Qualifier] can qualify for that World Cup, that is still the biggest prize in the game as far as we’re concerned, and certainly as far as the world game is concerned.”Cricket Ireland’s decision has caused some disquiet. “I’d say there are people who are not happy with that,” Andy Balbirnie, Ireland’s captain, told ESPNcricinfo. “There’ll be a lot of people at Lord’s, and there won’t be a lot of people in Zimbabwe or Scotland [for the Qualifiers].”And Lord’s, for an Irish supporter, is fairytale stuff. People in Ireland, I think, got their love of cricket from listening to Test Match Special and watching cricket on Channel Four – like myself – in the nineties and early 2000s. It was always England Tests – and now we’re the team playing on TMS.”If you’re an Irish cricket fan, you’re like, ‘This is amazing, this is dreamland stuff.’ So naturally you’d be like, ‘Why aren’t we playing our best team when they’re not injured?’ But there’s a bigger picture: we understand that the Qualifiers are where we need to be at our best. There’s probably a few moans and groans about it but I think for us – and for Josh – it’s the best thing.”Little has already missed all three of Ireland’s Tests this year – one in Bangladesh, two in Sri Lanka – in order to fulfil his Titans commitments, but Balbirnie said that he had “no issue” with him missing international fixtures to play in the IPL if it had long-term benefits for Irish cricket.”Naturally, I would love to have him next week. I’m not saying I wouldn’t,” Balbirnie said. “But I have no issue with him playing in the IPL; if anything, I want him to be there. I want him on that stage because it’s good for Irish cricket, it’s good for our players.”In the space of a year, he’s gone from not really on the IPL radar to potentially being in the winning squad. It’s good for the people below him – the young players – because they can strive to be the next Josh Little. The knock-down effect it has is far more important than whether he plays the Test match at Lord’s.”Holdsworth added that, without any red-ball preparation behind him, Little might struggle to manage the physical demands of Test cricket: “The majority of the cricket he has been playing is T20 and bowling four overs is not good enough to prepare any cricketer to play Test cricket, where they could be bowling 20-plus overs a day and maybe for two innings.”We didn’t feel physically he was actually going to be ready for that having had no preparation for that Test match. His preparation was literally going to be coming out of the IPL and arriving a couple of days before the Test match.”Instead, Ireland will go into the Test with a depleted seam attack – with Barry McCarthy and Conor Olphert both unavailable through injury. They are preparing with a three-day, first-class warm-up match at Chelmsford, against an Essex side which features four of their own squad members.

Impact Player rule in focus: Super Giants could start with three overseas players, while Capitals look to plug allrounder’s hole

Hemant Brar31-Mar-20233:15

Moody: ‘Warner is one of those captains who are an over ahead’

Big picture

After an impressive inaugural season where they made it to the playoffs, Lucknow Super Giants will play at their home ground for the first time, with the IPL returning to the tradition home-and-away format.Last year, Super Giants’ middle order looked brittle at times, so at the auction, they bought Nicholas Pooran. How much they value his batting is clear from the price they paid – INR 16 crore (USD 1.95 million approx.) – for him despite already having two wicketkeeping options in KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock in their first-choice XI.Super Giants’ squad is brimming with allrounders, which is a big advantage. However, left-arm quick Mohsin Khan’s shoulder injury, in head coach Andy Flower’s words, is “a blow” for the team. Moreover, Flower is not expecting him to be available at all this season.Related

• Delhi Capitals have firepower despite Pant's absence

• Lucknow Super Giants bank on all-round strength

Delhi Capitals are without their regular captain, Rishabh Pant, this year. But in David Warner, they have a leader who has won the IPL previously, in 2016 with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh’s batting form also bode well for them. In fact, Marsh is expected to bowl as well this season.While Capitals still lack a genuine allrounder, their head coach Ricky Ponting is confident the Impact Player rule will help them plug that hole.

Team news

Super Giants will be without de Kock, who will join the squad on April 3, after South Africa’s ODI series against Netherlands is over.Capitals’ South African players – Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi – will miss Saturday’s match too. Mustafizur Rahman, who was rested for the final T20I against Ireland in Chattogram on Friday, tweeted that he was flying to join the squad on Saturday, when Capitals play the evening game in Lucknow.

Toss and Impact Player strategy

Lucknow Super Giants
Super Giants could start with three overseas players, irrespective of whether they bat first or bowl. If they bat first, their three overseas players could be Kyle Mayers, Pooran and Marcus Stoinis. In the second innings, Mark Wood can come in as an Impact Player for a batter, say Ayush Badoni.Probable bat-first XI: 1 KL Rahul (capt & wk), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Prerak Mankad, 9 Jaydev Unadkat, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Ravi BishnoiIf they bowl first, they could start with Mayers, Stoinis and Wood, with Pooran replacing Wood in the chase.Probable bowl-first XI: 1 KL Rahul (capt & wk), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Prerak Mankad, 8 Jaydev Unadkat, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Ravi BishnoiRavi Bishnoi has dismissed David Warner three times in three meetings•BCCI

Delhi Capitals
In Pant’s absence, Sarfaraz Khan is likely to keep wicket. He had donned the big gloves in three matches during the latest Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well.If Mustafizur is not available, it weakens Capitals’ death bowling. To counter that, they may beef up their batting by having four overseas batters in their XI. Ishant Sharma could be the Impact Player and replace Shaw when they bowl.Probable bat-first XI: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Rilee Rossouw, 5 Sarfaraz Khan (wk), 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Aman Khan/Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Chetan Sakariya, 11 Khaleel AhmedIf they are bowling first, Ishant starts, with Shaw replacing him in the chase.Probable bowl-first XI: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 Sarfaraz Khan (wk), 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Aman Khan/Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Chetan Sakariya, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Ishant SharmaBut if Mustafizur is available, Ishant sits out, and Lalit Yadav replaces Powell. In that scenario, Mustafizur could share the Impact Player role with Shaw. That, though, would also mean three left-arm seamers in the side, to go with two left-arm spinners.

Stats that matter

• Since the start of 2021, Rahul’s powerplay strike rate in the IPL is just 109.73. He picks up as the innings progresses, scoring at 149.09 in the middle phase and 207.14 at the death.
• In the same time period, Rahul hasn’t been able to score freely against left-arm fingerspinners: a strike rate of 111.46 even though he has a healthy average of 35.00. Capitals can use Axar Patel to tie him down. Against Axar, Rahul has managed only 22 runs off 34 balls while getting out twice.
• In contrast, Pooran has smashed Axar for 30 runs off nine balls without any dismissals. Pooran can be equally destructive against pace as well. In fact, he is one of only three batters in IPL history with 200-plus runs at a strike rate of above 150 against both pace and spin. Andre Russell and Virender Sehwag are the other two.
• In T20 cricket, Ravi Bishnoi has dismissed Warner three times in six balls. He has had the better of Powell too: four dismissals in 34 balls for 28 runs.

Pitch and conditions

Lucknow has hosted six T20Is to date – teams batting first have won five of those. The only time a chasing team won, Hardik Pandya called the pitch “a shocker”. In that game, New Zealand scored 99 for 8 batting first, and India chased it down on the penultimate ball of the match. During the 2022-23 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Lucknow had hosted 14 games. Teams struggled to post big totals then as well.

They will face Brisbane Heat in the Eliminator on Friday after a rocky chase against Melbourne Stars

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2023Returning allrounder Jason Sangha believes Sydney Thunder can cause some trouble in the BBL finals after sneaking into the top-five.Thunder locked in the last spot in the BBL finals with a tense three-wicket win against the lowly Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Wednesday night.The unconvincing victory allowed the Thunder to jump into fourth to secure a home final, knocking Hobart down to sixth. Thunder will host Brisbane at Sydney Showground Stadium on Friday night.Related

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• Australia's T20I future: who has stood out from the BBL?

• Thunder win low-scoring thriller, will face Heat in Eliminator

“Looking back at our season, it has been a bit of a rollercoaster,” Sangha said. “The one good thing is we’ve managed to find a way in those tight situations, we’re just finding ways to win.”In the finals series, all you need is a couple of things to go your way. For us going forward is just recognising those key moments in a game.”The clash with Thunder was Sangha’s first game since he broke his collarbone on December 18. Despite being named captain for this season, the captaincy was left with Chris Green after the spinner had done the job for most of the tournament.But Thunder are likely to be without paceman Gurinder Sandhu against Heat after the 29-year-old suffered another calf injury. However, David Warner, who has yet to leave a mark on the tournament, will be available and would also play the Knockout if Thunder qualify before flying out to India with the Test squad.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Thunder’s appearance in the finals looked shaky at numerous stages throughout the campaign, with the low-point coming when they were all-out for a T20 record low of 15 against Adelaide Strikers.The winner of the clash between Thunder and Heat will back up on Sunday night for another sudden-death match against Melbourne Renegades.Top teams Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers will battle on Saturday night in front of up to 50,000 fans at Optus Stadium.The winner of that match will earn hosting rights for the final on February 4, with the loser to play the winner of Sunday night’s match at Marvel Stadium.

Brothers Union and City Club remain winless after playing three matches each

Mohammad Isam22-Mar-2023Defending champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club are among the four clubs who have claimed full points with wins in all of their respective matches in the first week of this season’s Dhaka Premier League. The other teams who have gone unscathed are Abahani Limited, Prime Bank and Legends of Rupganj.Abahani climbed to second place after their six-wicket win over old rivals Mohammedan Sporting Club at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday.Brothers Union and City Club remain winless after playing three matches each.

Best batters of the week – Mohammad Naim and Irfan Sukkur

Left-hand batters Mohammad Naim and Irfan Sukkur are currently on top of the batters’ charts. Naim’s unbeaten 110 was decisive in Abahani’s big win over Mohammedan. Brothers Union’s Tanzid Hasan made a run-a-ball 142 against Legends of Rupganj.Mominul Haque, playing for Rupganj Tigers, smacked a 41-ball 74 against Mohammedan.

Best bowlers – Elias Sunny and Alauddin Babu

Left-arm spinner Elias Sunny took a five-wicket haul against newcomers Dhaka Leopards, while Alauddin Babu took his five-for, which included a hat-trick, against Gazi Group Cricketers. Fast bowlers have had a good run so far – four other four-wicket hauls have all been by quick bowlers.

The close match – Legends of Rupganj vs Brothers Union

Legends of Rupganj beat Brothers Union by three wickets in a high-scoring match at the BKSP-3 ground. Rupganj chased down the target of 300 with eight balls to spare, with Chirag Jani top scoring with 94. Earlier, Tanzid scored 142 to take Brothers Union to 299 for 5.

Players to watch

Akbar Ali, the much-talked-about Under-19 World Cup-winning captain, started this DPL season with a fifty for Gazi Group Cricketers. He is the only big name from that 2020 batch to have not made it to the Bangladesh senior side yet, so Akbar will be looking at maximising his opportunities this season.

The grade-one strain has also left the Sri Lanka seamer doubtful for the South Africa Tests, that follow close on the heels of the Australia tour

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Jan-2019Sri Lanka seamer Nuwan Pradeep has been ruled out of the series against Australia, after scans revealed he had sustained a grade-one strain in his left hamstring. He is also doubtful for the South Africa Test series that follows close on the heels of the Australia tour.Pradeep had picked up the injury on day one of Sri Lanka’s warm-up match against a Cricket Australia XI in Hobart, on Thursday. He immediately left the field, having bowled only two overs in the match, and underwent scans over the weekend that confirmed the severity of the injury. Pradeep’s career has been plagued by leg injuries – particularly hamstring complaints – and this is largely why he has not played a Test since October 2017.Although a fit Pradeep did not get a game during the two Tests in New Zealand, he may have been a good option for Sri Lanka at the seam-friendly Gabba Stadium, as he is often capable of generating appreciable movement off the deck.Despite his being one of the most experienced members of the pace-bowling battery, and although no replacement has been officially named yet, Sri Lanka are still left with a serviceable seam-bowling contingent in Australia. Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha and Dushmantha Chameera all remain fit and available, with all four of those bowlers having played at least one Test over the past six weeks.Sri Lanka’s first Test begins in Brisbane on Thursday.

West Indies’ mix of high-speed hustle with the ball and patience with the bat help them beat pre-tournament favourites India by five wickets in a tense final in Mirpur

The Report by Mohammad Isam in Mirpur14-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAn unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 69 between Keemo Paul and Keacy Carty helped West Indies clinch a last-over thriller•Getty Images

West Indies’ mix of high-speed hustle with the ball and patience with the bat help them beat pre-tournament favourites India by five wickets in a tense final in Mirpur to lift their maiden Under-19 World Cup title.India, who were bowled out for 145, held their own and fought till the end admirably until Keemo Paul and Keacy Carty’s ice-cool approach helped West Indies eat into the target and eventually cross the line with three balls to spare. That meant India lost a Youth ODI for the first time since their quarterfinal exit of the same tournament in 2014.India’s crash began with Rishabh Pant wandering outside his crease, only to find wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach flick an underarm throw back to the stumps to catch him unaware. Imlach’s match awareness that gave them a breakthrough off the fourth ball of the morning set the tone for a dominating display against a batting unit high on confidence.Anmolpreet Singh, who had done well in the two knockout games prior to the grand finale fell next as he was unable to get his bat out of the way to a rising Alzarri Joseph delivery in the third over, as he gloved a nick to the wicketkkeeper. Then came a blow that ended Ishan Kishan’s run of poor scores as he played across the line and was trapped lbw, even though replays showed the ball had pitched just outside leg stump. When Washington Sundar chipped a simple catch to mid-off, a top order wobble seemed complete at 41 for 4 in the 15th over.India needed a rescue act, but West Indies didn’t drop their intensity even by an inch as Arman Jaffer found out while driving away to the cover fielder to leave Sarfaraz Khan with the unenviable task of reviving the innings and batting through, like he had done for most parts of the tournament.He did so by adding 37 with Mahipal Lomror, who sweetly timed two fours in his 43-ball 19. Even as a recovery looked a sudden possibility came yet another blow as Chemar Holder, who was brought back in for a new spell, sent him back with an awaygoing delivery that was well pouched by Imlach behind the stumps.Sensing the inevitable, Sarfaraz tried to break the shackles and found his hitting range, sweetly timing a flick over midwicket for six. He also brought up a half-century off 83 deliveries before perishing in an effort to up the ante. While he was clearly far from his best, Sarfaraz was still miles ahead with his judgment in lengths.With India collapsing in heaps, the inaccuracy of the West Indies bowlers went unnoticed as they conceded as many as 23 extras by the time India’s innings came to a grinding hat in 45.1 overs.Any thoughts of a regulation chase was quickly put on the backburner as India came back hard; West Indies slipping from 67 for 2 to 77 for 5 in the 29th over. The man who orchestrated the comeback was Mayank Dagar, the left-arm spinner, who teased the batsmen with his gentle flight and drift.Shimron Hetmyer, the captain, lofted one to long-on, while Shamar Springer top-edged a hoick to long-off. In Dagar’s next over, Jyd Goolie’s attempt to blast him down the ground ended up in a sharp caught and bowled, making West Indies lose their third wicket in six overs.Paul and Carty had to dig deep. That Carty had an opportunity to do so was courtesy a reprieve when Sarfaraz put down a sharp chance at slip off Dagar. But the pair battled slowly to ensure India’s biggest threat was safely negotiated.As the innings progressed, India began to get edgy as Pant failed to hold on to a thin edge off Carty in Dagar’s last over. As if to break the shackles, he was lofted down the ground for six in the same over. Slowly, the equation boiled down to 24 off the last five overs.With nine needed off the last two overs, Paul’s attempted inside-out hit over cover resulted in him hitting one towards Avesh Khan, who put down a tough chance even as the ball was dying on him. Carty then reached a half-century off 122 balls. By then, the celebration had well and truly begun in the West Indies camp. The party had kickstarted in earnest when Paul’s top edge flew over the keeper’s head to bring an end to a pulsating clash.

India allrounder R Ashwin said his promotion up the order had induced a conscious change of approach with the bat

Karthik Krishnaswamy in St Lucia 11-Aug-2016R Ashwin has a career strike rate of 55.35 with the bat. But in his first three innings at No. 6, he has scored his runs at 40.90. Speaking to the media after scoring his second hundred of those three innings, and becoming only the fourth allrounder ever to score two hundreds and take two five-wicket hauls in the same Test series, Ashwin said his promotion up the order had induced a conscious change of approach with the bat.”It’s difficult to try and think too far ahead [at No. 6],” Ashwin said. “That’s easily possible if you are batting at No. 7 or 8, which has happened to me before when I have batted at No. 8. When I have batted at No. 8, you think like a bowler at times and want to get a few extra runs. So I used to play a few more shots.”Thankfully I had a very good preparation one month before the series. I batted quite a lot and devised a gameplan if and when I got a chance to bat at No. 6. The idea was to knock as many balls as possible. My goal is very simple. If I get a good start, if I get to 20 runs then I’m going to capitalise on it. Then I’m going to play percentage cricket. It’s all about trying to play the percentages and trying to string together a partnership and not look too far ahead in the game.”One thing I try to do is to bat sessions. There have been times when I’ve scored hundreds in two sessions or less than two sessions. This is kind of different, but I do enjoy it. It’s time-consuming and concentration-consuming but it’s enjoyable.”Ashwin came in to bat at 87 for 4, and was joined by Wriddhiman Saha at 126 for 5. They added 213 for the sixth wicket, allowing India to post a first-innings total of 353. Ashwin said his 118, which lasted 297 balls and was his longest Test innings – could prove a “series-defining” effort.”It is indeed,” he said, when asked if he considered it a special hundred. “I mean if we look at the scenario in hindsight later on, this could very well be a series-defining knock because we were in some trouble yesterday and there was every chance that we could be skittled out and also I thought it needed a bit of application.”It was not like making a hundred back home or anywhere in the world. I’m sure about that because it was definitely not a wicket where you could just plonk your front foot and play through the line. It was a hard-fought day yesterday and it was no different today. We just hope we can capitalise on the rearguard action later tomorrow.”Given West Indies’ bowling discipline, a bit of help from the surface, and a slow outfield, Ashwin only hit six fours and a six in his innings. While Saha played his shots after negotiating the first hour of the morning session, he too went through periods of almost pure defence. Ashwin said it had been “very difficult to score” at times.”When we got together we were in quite a bit of trouble and it was one of the wickets, I don’t know whether it’s improving any bit, where you are not in at any time,” he said. “There was a good chance that you might be nicked off or you might get a good ball any time. It was very difficult to score.”So we went and bit the bullet quite hard and wanted to just stick in there even if the runs weren’t quite coming. Obviously, the results came later on. It was a good partnership and both enjoyed each other’s company to be very honest.”Having batted with Saha in the past and watched him in first-class cricket, Ashwin knew what to expect from him.”I think we’ve batted a few times in the past,” he said. “Even [in Sydney] we put together a gritty partnership. The thing with Saha is he puts a price on his wicket and he’s a damn good player of spinners. He can tonk the ball, that I know from having played first-class cricket with him.”I know Saha pretty well and the communication was sticking around rather than look for avenues to score. It was just that even if we played a couple of maiden overs, we wanted to tell each other that we need to keep going and it was not about the maiden overs they keep bowling.”During the partnership, Ashwin said he and Saha had also picked up clues that might help India’s bowlers later on.”When Saha and me were batting, we were communicating about which way the ball was swinging, what the bowler was trying to do. There was a lot of help when the bowlers bowled cross-seam, and we’ve communicated to the bowlers and we hope they will find their rhythm tomorrow as well.”West Indies began strongly in their reply, ending the second day 107 for 1, with Kraigg Brathwaite batting on 53. Ashwin said India would need to stay patient and try to capitalise whenever a new batsman was at the crease.”Long partnerships came in, one breakthrough and somebody gets into a spell. That’s what we’re looking at. If and when a couple of wickets fall, we can squeeze and jam them in.”The thing is that [West Indies] did get some momentum, I believe, from the Jamaica Test, but that’s how Test cricket is like. We didn’t come over here thinking or expecting to roll them over. They’re also a Test team, and in their home conditions, it’s going to be hard and we expected it.”